Lara Croft GO offers more than 75 puzzles, set across five chapters. In each area, players swipe on the screen to move Lara between nodes in the environment. Stages become more complicated over time, and may ‘react’ or change each time Lara makes a move. For instance, a saw blade on a track will move between nodes only when Lara moves, so players must predict its movement to avoid harm.

Additional elements and obstacles include collapsing platforms, moving platforms (and associated switches), stationary and moving enemies and more. For each puzzle, players work to reach a glowing spot somewhere in the environment, which leads them to the next stage.

If Lara is defeated during a stage, players return to the beginning of the area and can try again. If players are stuck, they can unlock step-by-step solutions to every puzzle in the game for $4.99.

While clearing each area, players can collect the relic fragments and gemstones scattered throughout each environment. These are hidden in easy-to-miss pots, and can be collected with a tap. Players can replay stages to find any treasures they’ve left behind, with missing items clearly marked on the level selection screen. Collecting these treasures unlocks new outfits for Lara, and gamers can purchase additional outfits via in-app purchase.

In a statement, Patrick Naud, head of studio at Square Enix Montreal, commented:

With Lara Croft GO, we set out to capture the iconic franchise’s sense of exploration and combat in a fun, accessible way, while still challenging players. The result is a clever, distinctive gameplay experience that we think will resonate not only with fans of Lara Croft and the GO series, but with most mobile gamers in general.